Different types of headaches Treatment

Headache is one of the most common conditions that affects our daily activities. Headaches affect the patients physically as well as psychologically.

Types of headaches

Migraine

Patients with migraine usually suffer from severe pain at one or both sides of the head. Pain occurs in episodes that usually lasts from 4 hours to 72 hours

Headache in migraine is usually associated with the following symptoms

Photophobia and phonophobia

Nausea and vomiting and palpitations

Blurring of vision

Headache might be proceeded by an aura

Sluders neuralgia and cluster headache

Headache usually occurs in short frequent episodes like clusters. Followed by periods where the patient can stay pain free before the clusters reappear. Cluster headache is also called suicide headache

Cervicogenic headache

Due to an old motor accident. Where impact on the cervical vertebrae can cause damage to the nerves (greater and lesser occipital nerves) causing constant and chronic headache (whiplash syndrome)

It can occur due to multiple disc prolapse causing severe headache. Which usually occurs in Business men, teachers, designers, it and more

Diagnosis

Clinical diagnosis is very important. MRI brain and cervical spine is the gold standard imaging investigation for the diagnosis

Treatment

Migraine and cluster headache

Fluoroscopic guided Radiofrequency ablation of the sphenopalatine ganglion is considered the definitive treatment for those conditions

Cervicogenic headache

Selective cervical nerve root injection and Radiofrequency together with facet joints injection and median branch Radiofrequency is the gold standard management of Cervicogenic headache

All minimally invasive procedures are done in the operation theatre under guidance of fluoroscopy using Local anaesthesia and sedation. The patient is instructed to leave the hospital in the same day and to resume his normal daily activities after 24 hours